Dofollow vs nofollow links: what they mean for crowd links
Link attributes tell search engines how a site relates to the page it links to. Here is what each one means and why crowd links usually come with a mix.
When you check a backlink, one of the first things to look at is its rel attribute. It tells search engines something about the relationship between the linking page and the page it links to.
The four types
- Dofollow is not a real attribute — it simply means a link has no rel value that limits it. This is the default for links.
- rel="nofollow" asks search engines not to associate the linking site with the linked page.
- rel="ugc" marks links in user-generated content, such as forum posts and comments. Google introduced it in 2019.
- rel="sponsored" marks paid or advertising links. Google asks site owners to use sponsored or nofollow for links that were paid for.
How Google treats them since 2020
In 2019 Google announced that nofollow, ugc and sponsored would be treated as hints. Since March 2020 this also applies to crawling and indexing. In practice it means a nofollow link is not automatically ignored: Google decides how to use it.
Why crowd links are often nofollow or ugc
Forums and communities add nofollow or ugc to links in user posts to discourage spam. That is standard behaviour of many forum engines, so a large part of any crowd link profile will carry these attributes. Some platforms do not limit links at all, and those links are dofollow.
Why a mixed profile is normal
Real websites get both kinds of links. Mentions on social networks, forums and comment sections are mostly nofollow or ugc; editorial links are more often dofollow. A link profile made only of dofollow links can look less natural than a mixed one. That is why it rarely makes sense to judge crowd links only by their attribute.
What else nofollow links give
- Visitors who click through from an active discussion.
- Brand mentions in places where people talk about your topic.
- A more natural balance of attributes and anchors in your link profile.
How to check a link’s attribute
Right-click the link and choose “Inspect” in your browser, or open the page source and search for your URL. Look for a rel value next to the link. Our guide on how to check crowd links covers the other things worth checking.